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The James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation believes that the arts connect us to each other in powerful and surprising ways and help us make sense of our world. By celebrating the vital role artists play in enriching the lives of all Oregonians, we recognize that artists are essential to our state’s vitality.
The Foundation has funded the arts throughout Oregon for over two decades, primarily by supporting the work of arts organizations. In 2024 we launched the Spark Award for Oregon Artists, a three-year pilot program that provides direct support to 60 midcareer individual artists across artistic disciplines.
photo credit: Marissa Lewis
Sign up for updates here.
Check back in Spring 2026 for information about the 2026 Spark Award for Oregon Visual Artists.
The Miller Foundation will grant $25,000 to each selected artist. Recipients can receive the award in a single payment shortly after award announcements or in multiple installments. Awardees will receive a 1099-MISC form.
Funds can address any barriers to sustaining and advancing your artistic practice, offering time to explore, reflect, connect, or create work at a particularly important moment in your creative development.
2024
Individual artists creating original work in the performing arts: dance, music, theater, and other performance practices, traditional and folk performance, Culture Bearers and interdisciplinary artists whose work includes the performing arts as one of the primary forms of expression.
2025
Individual artists creating original work in the fields of literary arts (fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, graphic novels) and media arts (animation, experimental, narrative and documentary media), and interdisciplinary artists whose work includes the literary or media arts as the primary forms of expression.
2026
Individual artists and Culture Bearers creating original works of visual art and presenting in an exhibition/installation context: Book arts, Collage, Ceramics, Drawing, Fiber, Glass, Installation, Painting, non-commercial Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, Sound Art, Social Practice Art & Video Art/Digital Art presented as installation, and Interdisciplinary Practices where visual arts is a primary form of expression.
Additional eligibility requirements for 2025 are listed below.
Eligible applicants will be individual midcareer artists who meet these basic criteria:
photo credit: Siri louis
To be eligible for this grant program, applicants should be an individual literary or media artist who meet the following criteria:
* These grant funds are intended to support the work of individual artists rather than the work of arts organizations. Arts organizations are eligible to receive operating support through other Miller grant programs. We would like to ensure that organizations who receive funding from the Miller Foundation to support their staff and operations are not receiving duplicate support through this program (i.e. supporting an artist through Miller organizational grant AND a Spark Award).
The Miller Foundation does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.
Artist’s work demonstrates a distinctive vision and voice, communicates unique perspective/s (Materials: Artist statement, Work samples)
Artist demonstrates strong technical skills and craft in the execution of their work and shows an ongoing commitment to working in this form (Materials: Work samples)
Application demonstrates sustained audience engagement with applicant’s artistic work (Materials: Resume/CV, Work samples)
Application provides compelling evidence that funding will have a significant impact on the artist’s creative development at this juncture in their career and will support their artistic potential. This could be by removing barriers to sustaining and advancing the artist’s practice or serving as a catalyst to a new stage of artistic development (Materials: Narrative questions, Resume/CV)
Please note: The application materials noted in italics are the most relevant to the evaluation of the criteria.
photo credit: Sara Sjol. Artists: ERAS and Never Satisfied| Portland Street Art Alliance
Tell us who you are and share your background, influences, and journey as an artist.
Please tell us a bit about yourself, such as where you grew up, what led you to become an artist, or any other information that might not be included in other parts of your application.
[2,000 characters maximum including spaces]
Please share your journey as an artist. Tell us about your original artistic practice and how it has developed over time: you may include information about your influences, process, values, emphasis, main interests, and more. What are your current investigations or curiosities?
[3,500 characters maximum, including spaces]
Tips and Resources on preparing your bio and artist statement available HERE.
Explain how this funding would provide momentum for your creative practice and/or remove barriers at this particular stage of your career. Tell us about your engagement with audiences.
How would this funding provide momentum for your creative development at this particular stage in your artistic career? How would this funding help address barriers or enhance your ability to sustain and advance your creative practice in the future?
[3,500 characters maximum, including spaces)
Reminder: This funding is intended to support you as an artist. As such, the funding may be used to support any activities and aspects that sustain your practice, including - but not limited to - living costs such as rent, healthcare, childcare, and/or trainings, materials, equipment, research costs, etc. This funding does not need to be used in support of a specific project. However, the application should describe how the funding can advance your creative development and artistic career.
The Spark Award aims to support artists who directly engage audiences: tell us about the specific audience/s you have reached with your work. Examples include screenings, readings, distribution, and other programs (rather than self-presented or passive distribution that have had minimal reader/viewer/listener engagement)
[3,000 characters maximum, including spaces)
Provide details of training, background and experience related to your current artistic practice.
Upload a resume/CV in a single document. This document is a tool that should help tell the story of the evolution of your artistic career to date—it will be carefully reviewed to fully assess eligibility, career stage, commitment to your discipline, audience/s, and future potential. As such, the document should provide a comprehensive overview of any background and professional experience related to your current, original artistic practice. Special emphasis should be put on the production and presentation of original work.
Depending on your discipline(s), this could include an overview of past and upcoming publications, productions, screenings, readings, presentations, grants/awards, residencies, or other relevant activities. Clearly state the year in which the activity occurred. Do not include general employment history or other information unless it is pertinent to your artistic practice
[Five pages maximum in PDF format]
Tips and Resources on preparing a CV HERE.
Share samples created in the last decade that you consider the best examples of your creative work.
3 samples required from 3 different bodies of work (see specifications below). The work samples you submit are the most important part of your application. Provide links to locations where your video/audio files are hosted. For text/script, upload PDF files in simple formatting (scans from publications will not be accepted).
Tips and Resources on preparing your work samples for application available HERE.
The 2025 deadline has passed.
Sign up for updates on the 2026 Spark Award timeline.
photo credit: Jasmin Schreiber
